Whether at the beginning or near the end of high school, we tailor our services to help your teen craft applications that capture the attention of college admissions officers at institutions that align with their academic, social, and financial goals.
For Students
Review and make recommendations for courses for 9th grade or review courses that have already been selected.
Review high school courses in progress or planned compared to the UC A-G Approved Course List.
Review of 1st semester grades and make recommendations for courses in 10th grade.
Review 2nd semester grades and make recommendations regarding retaking a course or remediation.
Review high school profile.
Review high school’s policy on online high school or college courses and whether the high school participates in dual enrollment.
Discussion of career interests, if identified. (Student can take career inventories to identify possible college majors or career interests).
Identifying passions and personal Interests.
Extracurricular Activities:
In School:
Reviewing what extracurricular activities are available to students within their high school.
Determining student interest in existing high school clubs. Exploring options for creating new clubs within the school.
Explaining the process of building toward a leadership role.
Outside of School:
Exploring extracurricular activities outside of school.
Resume Construction – help the student begin to connect the dots between their interests, academic courses, and extracurricular activities (the foundation of a solid resume).
Summer Plans – especially important to plan your summers well in advance. Examples of summer activities - academic summer programs run by colleges, study abroad or subject-area-specific programs, summer internships, part-time jobs, work on a personal project, teaching yourself a new skill, self-study, college, or online classes.
Rehab social media sites, if needed.
Begin compiling information for the Common Application, UC Application, and Cal State Application.
Review the pros and cons of liberal arts versus research institutions; review the pros and cons of public versus private colleges.
Identify and review colleges by geographic regions that may or may not be known to the student.
For Parents
Discussion on the cost of college. Costs are more than just tuition and fees.
Managing expectations – student’s and yours.
Review of requirements for highly selective colleges.
Suggestions for touring colleges.
9th Grade Services
10th Grade Services
For Students
Review 1st semester grades and make recommendations for courses in 11th grade.
Review high school courses in progress or planned compared to the UC A-G Approved Course List.
Review 2nd semester grades and make recommendations regarding retaking a course or remediation.
Extracurricular activities review.
Have students write extracurricular activities for college applications in the correct format for the Common Application and UC application.
Leadership activities – We will make recommendations to secure a leadership role if the student has not already done so.
Summer Plans – especially important to plan your summers well in advance. Examples of summer activities - academic summer programs run by colleges, study abroad or subject-area-specific programs, summer internships, part-time jobs, work on a personal project, teaching yourself a new skill, self-study, college, or online classes.
Build out student resume.
College research training.
Create a plan for taking standardized tests; we recommend that testing for the SAT or ACT be completed before the start of senior year.
Review of public and private universities, UCs, and Cal State Colleges.
For Parents
Review student progress
How to pay for college
Requirements for UCs
Discussion of test-optional colleges
For Students - 11th Grade
Review 1st semester grades and make recommendations for courses in 12th grade.
Review high school courses in-progress or planned for 12th grade compared to the UC A-G Approved Course List.
Review 2nd semester grades and make recommendations regarding retaking a course or remediation.
Review standardized test results; review AP exam scores if any
Extracurricular activities review
Have the student write extracurricular activities for college applications in the correct format for Common Application and UC application.
Leadership activities progress review.
Plans for summer after 11th grade – Assist the student in planning for summer activities; academic summer programs run by colleges; study abroad or subject-area-specific programs, summer internships, part-time jobs, work on a personal project, teach themselves a new skill, or self-study, college, or online classes.
Build out student resume.
Helping the student to prioritize college attributes that make a difference (e.g., size, location, academic offerings, accelerated programs, accessibility of professors, the opportunity to study abroad) in the college decision process.
Build a college list that matches the student’s financial, academic, major/career, and social interests; the list will be structured as reach, target, and safety schools.
Finalized college list signed off on by parents and students.
Helping students identify teachers to write letters of recommendation.
Helping students to identify individuals for optional letters of recommendation.
For Students – 12th Grade
A discussion of why senior grades matter.
Understanding admission deadlines: Early Decision, Early Decision 2, Early Action, Early Restrictive Action, Regular Decision, and Rolling Decision.
Determine which application deadlines will be followed based on the finalized college list.
Extracurricular activities review.
Have the student write extracurricular activities for college applications in the correct format for Common Application and UC application.
Leadership activities review.
Continue building out student resume.
Help students brainstorm ideas for personal statements and college-specific essays. We do not write essays or personal statements for the student!
We provide comprehensive feedback and extensive edits for personal statements and essays.
Review applications, supplemental applications, and portfolios.
Assisting the student in keeping track of all application components and deadlines. We provide detailed worksheets to keep the process organized and manageable.
We hold weekly sessions with the student to ensure essays and applications are complete and submitted to meet the application deadlines.
Providing a strategy for visiting college campuses.
Mock interviews – We stage mock college interviews to make the student comfortable with the question-and-answer process. We provide an outline of frequently asked questions so students can prepare their answers, which we then practice, review, and critique.
Although we review the completed application before submission by the student, the application contents and timeliness of submission remain the student’s sole responsibility.
What to do if you are deferred or waitlisted.
Assisting the student in making the college choice - weighing their college options.
For Parents
Review student progress
Sign-off on final college list
Brief overview of FAFSA and CSS Profile financial aid forms – We recommend that every family complete the FAFSA regardless of whether you think you are eligible for financial aid. The CSS Profile is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid.
Provide a spreadsheet for parents that enables them to keep track of college acceptances and financial aid awards.